You all might have been aware that a few days ago the Senate voted for the deadline of the US troops withdrawal from Iraq. It's been a nauseating issue for years, but with the prospect of a Democratic leadership, there's high hope that it shall be executed soon. If the Bush administration will use its veto right (as they've announced it), people can expect the withdrawal to start sometime next year. But I suspect the administration will have to find a compromising timetable. Bush's approval rating has been so low, and Condi Rice has been on the opposite side of the Hawkish league in many affairs -- the Mid East in particular.

Anyway, most people don't know what kind of battle takes place daily at the Capitol Hill. Up to now the Republicans have been fighting not to let the Iraq's issue weigh down the whole party. Believe me, as unpopular as they may look like from outside, the GOP is still very influential. And despite some different opinions of a number of Republican senators to Bush's policies, they always manage to come up in unison.

Then an almost unanimous Senate's stance on a controversial (even among the Republicans) is somewhat peculiar. Yesterday I found out the answer:

SANJAYA!

It's true! Well, to be exact: Sanjaya and the conservative Americans' latent fear on terrorism. To know what I mean, please click the video below. (Or follow this link).

Those who strive for peace on earth, raise your hand in favor of Simon Cowell's nomination for 2008's Nobel Peace Prize. The sinister guy has definitely envisioned what damage Sanjaya can cause to the current state of international relations. I myself am convinced that the video had managed to force the Republican spectators to change their mindset -- and helped oust Sanjaya for everyone's benefit (this time I can say: finally, there's justice done by the Republicans).

Now that Sanjaya has gone off American Idol, I would also suggest that somebody is kind enough to show Bush this video. It may well change his mind and thus result in Bush's compliance with the Senate's resolution. Something evil can occur should he insist exercising his veto right: Sanjaya being put back on stage!!!!

The video showing her "playing the piano" has been swirling around in YouTube for several months. But, as usual, I just got to know that after seeing it on TV. No, she is not merely WALKING on the keys. She's actually sitting on the bench and hitting some keys, playing the similar tunes. She even plays in "duets" with her owner's pupils, hehehhe...

Ah, I love her even more for these facts:

1. I'm fond of cats. Always. In Indonesia, I would stop to rub street cats, and "pasar basah" cats. (Unfortunately here cats are kept at home *sniff sniff*).2. We share our names! (My full first name, that is).3. We share some characteristics (adorable and talented, hehehhe... well, this is MY blog, I can say whatever I want about myself *chuckle*).4. Both us have that, er, cute round belly.5. And, of course, we are into music.6. We are camera lovers (though the camera doesn't always return our -- uhm, my -- love).7. While I often tend to be indecisive, she's pretty consistent (she plays the same "song" over and over again, even in duets, regardless her partner's song *LOL*).

Check out her performance below, or just go directly to YouTube and type the keywords: The Piano-Playing Cat. Her video is on top of the list.

It was a shocking news, yet it was apparent that it didn't make it big on the media. The American people were still mourning on the loss of 32 students in the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy, and everyone could care less about other things. Even the bombing that killed almost 200 people in Baghdad only got a few spectators, I guess.

It's a video about a twelve years old boy beheading an adult, accusing the victim to be a "US spy". Those who sent it to the AP Television News in Peshwar -- and circulated it around Pakistan, undoubtedly -- called themselves part of the Taliban militia group.

I am not going to debate about the authenticity of the video. Some may claim that it must be a slick trick of the Western countries and the enemies of Islam to ignite more hatred towards the Muslim world. Their opponents will cry out that this should reinstate the danger of the Islamic radical groups. The victim's father has appeared on television, saying that his son was indeed beheaded being alleged a traitor to the Taliban group. But to this day there is no official statement of the Taliban group on the video.

I have no idea why it seems like the news never showed up Indonesia, though UNICEF has issued a statement condemning it. Maybe there is a silent consensus among the media people to keep it under radar, so as to avoid controversies and prevent possible chaos. If so, kudos to them :).

Anyway, that is not my point.

My first introduction to underage soldiers was actually through that chilling movie, "The Killing Fields". I remember my outrage watching children reporting their own parents' whereabouts to the Khmer Rouge military, and their taking parts in their parents' execution. Several years went by, and I had forgotten the movie, until I read Luigi's previous post about the same issue, which really struck me. Luigi's post had kind of reopened my eyes to the sick reality in another part of the world, and Ishmael Beah's narrative in "A Long Way Gone" made me think long of the children victimized by wars and conflicts everywhere.

Ishmael told the readers how he got into the front line of the civil war in Sierra Leone. For him, it was the question of staying alive, though he once lost his reason to live as his entire family was killed by the rebel group. The military managed to induce this thought to him, practically brainwashed him by telling him (and his peers) every second that fighting was the only way to take revenge for his family's deaths and to stop other children from being orphans like them. Of course, they were also drugged.

I have to say that Ishmael didn't dwell much on his experience in the war -- judging from the number of pages devoted to that particular part -- or how he underwent his recovery process, which is very understandable. I'm quite sure that even now, when he's already safely tucked in the US, breathing air of freedom, and enjoying celebrity life *winks* he still has his occasional nightmares.

While TV documentaries, some news, and articles on child soldiers are available, as well as reports made by the UN and NGOs, I don't think enough attention is given to this serious issue. "The children are our future" remains a meaningless slogan amidst a number of international conventions, the most important one being the Optional Protocol to UN's Convention on the Right of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. One striking fact: the report made by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiersdisclosed that after the US ratified the Protocol in 2002, the US Army still deployed 62 soldiers aged 17 in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003 and 2004 (though this practice has stopped by the end of 2004, further details of the report are here) -- I wonder whether Americans, with their strict domestic regulations to protect children, are aware of this. Well, similar practices can still be found in any conflict area, including in, yes, Indonesia. Nevertheless, the Protocol has a loophole surprisingly so obvious: Article 3 that gives exemption for state parties from the restriction to use allegedly child soldier on the condition that(a) Such recruitment is genuinely voluntary; (b) Such recruitment is carried out with the informed consent of the person's parents or legal guardians;(c) Such persons are fully informed of the duties involved in such military service; and (d) Such persons provide reliable proof of age prior to acceptance into national military service. YIKES! This is even worse than our national laws!

OK, enough with the lengthy lecture on those legal aspects. It's more important, anyway, to focus on the children.

Children involved in conflict -- voluntarily or forced -- will likely have difficulties in adapting to a peaceful environment. They are often drawn into, and sometimes create, dangerous chaos . Their anxiety, once channeled through violence at wars, slowly consume them. If the city kids who are exposed to violence in action movies and electronic games can turn into killing machines, those who actually commit it will -- at least theoretically -- have higher possibility. Should this not be carefully handled, in the long run they might generate, as Edsye Nana labels it, the victim's victims.

It's especially difficult in post-conflict time as this requires taking care of the children AND the community. Emotional wounds still need to heal; conflicting parties need to cast aside their ego to provide conducive environment for children to, well, heal. EGO. EGO. Hm. I remember a short story in one of Romo Brouwer's article, about a mother who had forced her son to step on his father's blooded shoes. It was a mandate to take revenge of the family's enemy who had killed the father. It's not an alien concept. In the litany of baseless blind justice, parents may have victimized their own kids without realizing it. BUT we, we, we can do something to fix it. IF we are willing and committed to.

Bill Clinton made Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)" his '92 presidential campaign theme. I still remember what Seventeen Magazine wrote about it in its eco-edition: it's a tribute to the era of radical changes, the flower generation, the swing to the other extreme of the pendulum. It's about saying out loud what you think and what you want. It's about trying everything. It's about revolution.

It's about the Vietnam War era.

Brilliant strategy, of course, since only in the previous year George Bush (Sr.) was at the peak of his popularity after the Persian Gulf War -- which many saw as a success in helping erase the Vietnam Syndromme. With a song from the Vietnam War era, not only did Clinton remind Americans about one of its most remembered foreign policy failures, but also portrayed himself as an agent of change. (And at the same time gave him justification for refusing to be sent to Vietnam).

Why not think about times to come,And not about the things that you've done,If your life was bad to you,Just think what tomorrow will do.Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,Don't stop, it'll soon be here,It'll be, better than before,Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.

That, a strong emphasis on economic issues (the catchy"It's the economy, stupid!"), the ability to take advantage of the fashion trend (back to '70s! With girls wearing bandanas, and long, frilly, flowery skirts combined with Doc Marts), and the charisma of course, he was all an irresistible package :).

What's the core issue of this year's presidential election?

SWITCH.

The American people are sick with the constant fear. With the list of casualties in Iraq. With feeling isolated and being the global enemy. With THE global warming. So there's gotta be a switch of the modes of conduct. Because it's been on the wrong path.

Heroes are those with supernatural power, but who are also very humane. Did you notice that "Heroes" come from different backgrounds? The message: multilateral course. Not a Rambo who singlehandedly terminates his foes.

So my pick for the perfect tune for '08 election campaign theme will be Swing Out Sister's "Breakout".

When situations never changeTomorrow looks unsureDon't leave your destiny to chanceWhat are you waiting forThe time has come to make your breakBreakout

Don't stop to askNow you've found a break to make at lastYou've got to find a waySay what you want to say Breakout

A new way to repair the damage that has been done. A breakout. And a breakthrough. Hm. A theme for our country too?

And if you were a presidential candidate, what would be your theme song?